no_more_boomerang-fp-4cdba840

BLM 48
No more
boomerang
No more boomerang
No more spear;
Now all civilized—
Colour bar and beer.
No more corroborree,
Gay dance and din.
Now we got movies,
And pay to go in.
No more sharing
What the hunter brings.
Now we work for money,
Then pay it back for things.
Now we track bosses
To catch a few bob,
Now we go walkabout
On bus to the job.
One time naked,
Who never knew shame;
Now we put clothes on
To hide whatsaname.
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Blake Education Fully Reproducible

No more gunya,
Now bungalow,
Paid by higher purchase
In twenty year or so.
Lay down the stone axe,
Take up the steel,
And work like a nigger
For a white man meal.
BLM 49
No More Boomerang
No more firesticks
That made the whites scoff.
Now all electric,
And no better off.
Bunyip he finish,
Now got instead
White fella Bunyip,
Call him Red.
Abstract picture now—
What they coming at?
Cripes in our caves we
Did better than that.
Black hunted wallaby,
White hunt dollar;
White fella witch-doctor
Wear dog collar.
No more message-stick;
Lubras and lads
Got television now,
Mostly ads.
Lay down the woomera,
Lay down the waddy,
Now we got atom-bomb,
End everybody.
by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)
from Australian Voices: A Collection of Poetry and
Pictures (Penguin)
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
71

Teaching notes for
No More Boomerang
Text form: Satire
Medium: Book
Field: Destruction of Aboriginal culture
Tenor: Written to unknown reader
Mode: Written
OTHER RESOURCES
Access to resources with information about traditional
Aboriginal lifestyles.
Draft writing paper.
Access to collections of poems by Aboriginal writers.
INTRODUCING THE UNIT
This poem by Oodgeroo was one of her early ones
written after she became involved in the Aboriginal
rights movement. Her poetry is a criticism of the
injustices she saw her people suffering as their culture
was being destroyed at the hands of the white people.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
Encourage students to research traditional Aboriginal
lifestyles with the understanding that there were
variations throughout the country in the ways that
different language groups lived.You may wish to invite
an Aboriginal from the local community to talk with
students.
Discuss lifestyle changes in contemporary society in the
past few years, particularly those associated with money
markets and communication. Ask students to think
about how this affects such things as family life, housing,
the arts and human interaction. Encourage students to
work systematically through the poem examining each
stanza for information about the contrasting ways of life
that Oodgeroo is describing.
INTERPRETING THE POEM
Encourage students to write about the injustices they
see in the poem and to write about these discussions
without bias or prejudice.
POLARISED DEBATE
After discussion of the issues in the poem, encourage
students to brainstorm all the possible advantages and
disadvantages of the technological age before they begin
their debate.
STANZAS
Help students to trace the patterns within each stanza.
You may wish to talk about how some stanzas set up
contrasting patterns about then and now. Help students
to hear the effects of the rhyming words in linking the
ideas in the stanza.
POETIC IMAGES
Discuss the literal and metaphorical meanings of the
images.You may need to provide some background
information about aspects such as the abstract art and the
‘dog collar’ allusion to the clergy. Encourage students to
explain the effects of these images in creating the meaning.
BE APOET
Encourage students to focus on the process of writing.
Point out that they should use Oodgeroo’s poem as a
model. Encourage students to think about aspects of
contemporary society which are the antithesis of the
values of traditional Aboriginal culture. Encourage
students to explore how these ideas could be
incorporated within a quatrain structure.
WRITE A NARRATIVE
Encourage students to write a narrative using the
information gained from the discussion of the poem.
Remind them of the various ways they can structure
their narrative and encourage the use of character
profiles to introduce interesting characters.
FOLLOW-UP/EXTENSION
• Have students research other Aboriginal writers.
• Create an anthology of Aboriginal poems about the
invasion of Aboriginal lands.
• Have students write a poem, using quatrains, on a
topic related to the issues in this poem.
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Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
No More Boomerang
Let’s talk about it!
BLM 50
‘No more boomerang’ is a poem written by Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Talk about
the poem with a group of friends. What is the poem is about? Write your
group’s ideas below.
Oodgeroo is presenting a view of traditional Aboriginal lifestyles. Research to
find out as much as you can about how Aboriginal people lived before the white
colonisation of Australia. Try to find out about social groupings, lifestyle and
beliefs. Compare the features of the traditional Aboriginal way of life with that of the
technologically based civilised way. How are family life, housing, the arts and human
interaction affected?
Traditional Aboriginal
Contemporary ‘civilised’ white
NA 4.1 NSW 3.1 Communicates and interacts confidently for a range of purposes and a variety of audiences to express well developed, well organised ideas dealing
with more challenging topics.
NA 4.5 NSW 3.5 Reads an extensive range of texts with fairly complex structures and features, justifying own interpretation of ideas, information and events in the
response to themes and issues.
NA 4.6 NSW 3.7 Analyses and explains techniques to position the reader and to interpret experiences differently in texts.
NA 4.8b Working with peers is able to find information and resources for specific purposes.
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BLM 51
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
No More Boomerang
Interpreting the poem
In contrasting the two lifestyles Oodgeroo makes it very clear to the reader
which lifestyle she believes is preferable. Find words or lines in the poem
that show this.
Polarised debate
Hold a polarised debate on the topic ‘The change to a technological age has
brought about improvements in our daily lives.’ Before the debate, brainstorm:
Advantages of technology
Disadvantages of technology
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NA 4.3 NSW 3.4 Controls and evaluates structures and features of spoken language. Interprets meaning and develops and presents ideas and information in
familiar surroundings.
NA 4.5 NSW 3.5 Reads an extensive range of texts with fairly complex structures and features, justifying own interpretation of ideas, information and events
in the response to themes and issues.
NA 4.9 NSW 3.9 Writes well structured literary and factual texts using challenging topics, ideas and issues for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible

Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
No More Boomerang
Stanzas
BLM 52
Oodgeroo has used a simple stanza form to write her poem. Examine the
patterns in each stanza. Which words rhyme? Why do you think the poet has
rhymed words in this way? Discuss how the past establishes the contrasting aspects in
each stanza.
Poetic images
There are some very powerful images in this poem. Some of these are listed below. Next
to each one write an explanation of what you think Oodgeroo means by this image.
To hide whatsaname __________________________________________________________
Higher purchase ______________________________________________________________
Work like a nigger ____________________________________________________________
White man meal ______________________________________________________________
Abstract picture ______________________________________________________________
White hunt dollar ____________________________________________________________
White fella witch-doctor/wear dog-collar ________________________________________
End everybody ______________________________________________________________
NA 4.1 NSW 3.1 Communicates and interacts confidently for a range of purposes and a variety of audiences to express well developed, well organised ideas dealing
with more challenging topics.
NA 4.6 NSW 3.7 Analyses and explains techniques to position the reader and to interpret experiences differently in texts.
NA 4.7 NSW 3.8 Identifies the structures of different texts and with assistance discusses the grammatical structures and features that shape readersí and listenersí
understanding of texts.
NA 4.9 NSW 3.9 Writes well structured literary and factual texts using challenging topics, ideas and issues for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
75

BLM 53
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
No More Boomerang
Be a poet
Oodgeroo Noonuccal achieved a great deal for her people before her death. Use
the pattern established in the poem and write further stanzas that identify, from
her point of view, other aspects of contemporary society and culture that are a strong
contrast to the traditional Aboriginal way of life.
Work on scrap paper and publish your final version in the space below.
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NA 4.9 NSW 3.9 Writes well structured literary and factual texts using challenging topics, ideas and issues for a variety of purposes and audiences.
NA 4.10 NSW 3.13 Evaluates writing in terms of effectiveness of presentation of subject matter and adjusts to focus on context, purpose and audience.
NA 4.11 NSW 3.14 Discusses and evaluates how texts have been constructed to achieve their purpose and shape readers’ and viewers’ understandings using
grammatical features and structures.
NA 4.12a NSW 3.10 Uses a range of strategies to plan, edit and proofread own writing.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible

Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
No More Boomerang
Write a narrative
BLM 54
Based on the issues that have become evident in ‘No More Boomerang’, write a
narrative thinking about how you can vary the structure of the storyline, for
example beginning with a complication or the resolution. Draft on scrap paper
and publish below.
NA 4.9 NSW 3.9 Writes well structured literary and factual texts using challenging topics, ideas and issues for a variety of purposes and audiences.
NA 4.12a NSW 3.10 Uses a range of strategies to plan, edit and proofread own writing.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
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